NIIGGER WILLS.

NZ Truth, Issue 881, 14 October 1922, Page 8

NIIGGER WILLS.

A Veritable Superman. The following appreciation of Negro Harry Wills's ring ability is clipped from a Londpn paper of standing. If all that is said of Wills is true, a j battle .between him and Jack Pempjsey would certainly be an epoch-maker m ring history:— ' ■ "Physically,' Wills is a veritable super-man, he is by far the strongest man that I have ever seen m a ring, Viis back is superbly muscled, his triceps and forearm amazingly developed. Yet without a suggestion of any musclebound conition. His neck measurement must be abnormal, although his head with its sloping forehead is .exceedingly small, so small m fact ami well placed that it would be difficult to land an 'effective olow upon either side of the jaw. "Of the two occasions on which I saw Wills m action, the first was against Fred Fulton, the 6ft 7in giant; it must be l'emembered that Fulton had only bean beaten twice previously <once by

Dempsey, as he came out of his corner for round- one). . "In the second round of the WillsFulton match the latter indulged m some rough work m a clinch, whereupon Wills picked him up as though he were a light-weight, and threw him away from him against the ropes! The fight ended m the third round. Fulton got Wills's left hand under his arm, and there held it. The men were thus brought close together, whereupon Wills ' drove his • right to Fulton's ribs, sending him to the floor a writhing heap. It was found- directly afterwards that not one rib, but several had been broken, that Wills with a ten-inch punch had literally stove m. this huge man's side! So much for his strength; as to whether he has Jack Johnson's wonderful 'eye' is another matter. That he has all Peter Jackson's attack, 'but with far greateVj force behind it, the ■ writer is convinced. On the second occasion of seeing Wills he was qp- ; posed to Sam M'Vea, undoubtedly long past his best, though full of tricks, for each of which Wills produced an antidote. It was a most unsatisfactory , fight, M'Vea hanging on for dear life, it was declared a* 'no contest 1 and both principals banned from the Phila- ! delphia arena for- somej -months, a de- . cifeion that seemed a most unexpected hardship for Wills to be subjected to. It is doubtful if De-mpsey will ever consent to a match with Wills; should he do so no lover of a real fight could afford to miss it. As an opinion for what it may be worth from one (who : has /watched both I may, .say that it is my belief that^unless Dempsey got his : man quickly — very quickly — he would go down as sure as the setting sun. "Carjpentier had an outside chance, . but threw it away by standing up and fighting a man who is probably the toughest and roughest fighter over a short course that ever lived.. . Dempsey's weakness is his "wind.' In Wills he would meet a man most difficult to hit effectively, and one who, as the fi£'ht wore on, would be found to be pretty tough, and pretty rough himself. - "The American heavyweights of today are a veritable -race of giants. The day has passed when i2st 71b , was heavy enough for the heavy-weight championship of the world."